Syria says Israel talks addressed keeping country out of Israel-Turkey tensions

Syria said high-level talks with Israel on Sunday were aimed at de-escalation after recent Israeli strikes and also addressed keeping the country out of tensions between Israel and Turkey, an ally of Damascus.

State news agency SANA quoted a diplomatic source at the foreign ministry as saying that Syrian and Israeli delegations met for US-sponsored talks hosted by Jordan "as part of efforts aiming at de-escalation after recent Israeli bombardment of Syrian territory".

The talks also addressed "efforts aimed at bringing closer the viewpoints between Turkey and Israel and ensuring the current tension between the two countries are not reflected on Syria territory", said the source.

The backchannel security talks were held to address how to keep Syria neutral amid escalating regional friction and competing military ambitions between Israel and Turkey.

Tensions spiked after Israeli airstrikes hit the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria on August 18, 2026.

Israel claimed the strike was a preemptive move to stop Syria from allowing Turkish forces and air-defense systems to deploy at the base, which Israel views as a direct threat to its air superiority.

Both Damascus and Ankara strongly denied that the base was being converted into a Turkish military installation, maintaining that Turkish visits only involved general militar

Prior to the airstrike, high-level indirect talks — including discussions between Syria's foreign minister and Israeli officials — focused on maintaining a security status quo and ensuring Syrian territory would not become a theater for a direct Israel-Turkey confrontation.

While Syrian leadership has expressed deep distrust of Israel following the recent bombings, Damascus notes that diplomatic channels and US-backed negotiations are expected to resume to prevent further border escalations.